spandrel
/ˈspændrəl/
noun
- The roughly triangular space between the curve of an arch and the rectangular frame or wall around it, often found in architecture.
- The architect designed a simple spandrel to balance the archway.
- The cathedral's spandrels were decorated with intricate carvings.
- In Gothic architecture, spandrels often contain religious scenes.
- In evolutionary biology, a feature that arises as a byproduct of the evolution of another trait, not as a direct adaptation.
- The concept of a spandrel helps explain why certain traits exist without a clear purpose.
- Some scientists argue that the human ability to read is a spandrel of brain development.
- Language may be a spandrel, emerging from other cognitive abilities.